Looking for Priceless Humor on the Internet?

01/08/09

For centuries stories have been told and retold throughout the world. Why? For one thing, they are entertaining. For another, they deal with the human condition. Even animal characters in stories act out the situations of our own humanity.

For centuries as well, life has been a struggle. Conflict. Pestilence. Relationship scuffles. All of which beg for some direction, some assistance. Some kind of resolution.

Needless to say, no one cares to listen to preaching. We desire to sweeten our bitter medicines. That is where laughter comes in. It is the honey in the brew. Witty humor is priceless humor. A unique combination.

As you know, everyone loves to laugh. Laughter enlivens the spirit. And everyone loves to laugh at the foibles of our own species (as long as it happens at the expense of another). This is priceless humor.

Look around you at the great humorists. Art Buchwald. George Carlin. Russell Baker. Look at history and the humorists that litter the pages. Moliere. Henry Fielding All of them were storytellers. Priceless humor their brush.

Priceless humor... what makes it priceless? The answer is simple. Priceless humor involves situations which most of us have experienced. The lost keys. The comic situation. The laughable consequences generally follow in quick succession.

You will find lots of priceless humor in urban folktales. Listeners can readily find many humorous circumstances in my CD Parking in Manhattan. These hilarious comedies involve characters everybody can relate to and empathasize with. Priceless humor arises out of priceless situations.

World stories also capitalize on priceless humor. The retelling of such stories never ceases to bring gales of laughter to listeners. Two good examples from my CD Fables in Four Minutes are "Rock Soup" and "Herschel in the Woods" Listen to "The Egg Seller" or "Hickory Dock" from World Full of Stories. There are many similar examples of priceless humor from virtually every country on the planet. You will find yourself remembering these stories for a very long time. At www.jaystetzer.com you will find a rich source of priceless humor!

I listen to lots of conversations. They are laden with disasters and catastrophes. And the life lessons are generally hidden from view. As a storyteller, my job is to sift through the data and sort out the meaning. To make the tale palatable, I inject a bit of humor. Making the story priceless with priceless humor!

Virtually every storytelling genre contains examples of priceless humor. Why? Simple answer number two. Laughter makes learning easier. A story with priceless humor often comes with a lesson attached. It just goes to show what a treasure priceless humor can be.